[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22734-22735]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING ST. NICHOLAS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WILKES-BARRE, 
          PENNSYLYANIA, AS IT CELEBRATES ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 2005

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay special tribute to 
St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, which 
is celebrating its 150th anniversary on Oct. 16, 2005.
  A century and a half ago, a small group of German immigrants joined 
together to form a church where they could worship in the traditions 
instilled in them by their ancestors and provide a religious education 
for their children and for the generations to follow.
  Their effort took root and quickly flourished. Soon, a small wooden 
church appeared to provide a place to worship and then a school. Both 
structures filled quickly and the need to build even larger facilities 
was evident.
  In 1883, the congregation started construction on a magnificent 
Gothic edifice that remains to this day and can accommodate up to 1,200 
worshippers at a given service.
  In 1913, anew, larger elementary parochial school was constructed to 
accommodate an ever growing number of students. A high school was 
incorporated in 1928, and an auditorium and gymnasium were built in 
1930.
  The Sisters of Christian Charity, organized in Germany, joined St. 
Nicholas Parish as the school teachers in the early 1870s and they 
remain in a leadership role to this day. A new convent was built to 
accommodate their needs in 1963.
  The old church rectory was torn down in 1971 and a new residence was 
built and completed by June, 1972.
  The parish steadily acquired adjacent properties over the years and, 
today, occupies nearly an entire city block bounded by Washington 
Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and the South Street Bridge.

[[Page 22735]]

  Now home to more than 1,300 families, the parish maintains more than 
40 thriving organizations that minister to all segments of the 
congregation and the larger community nearby.
  Although in existence for 150 years, the parish has had only six 
pastors, including Monsignors Peter Nagel, Charles Goeckel, Cyriac 
Staib, Francis Schmitt, Joseph Meier and Joseph Rauscher.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating St. Nicholas Parish on 
the occasion of its 150th anniversary. A landmark in central city 
Wilkes-Barre for a century and a half, St. Nicholas Church is well 
known for much more than just a striking physical presence in the heart 
of the community. It has been a shining example of a faith community 
that ministers to its own while reaching out with a welcoming hand to 
the larger community in a myriad of ways. The pastor and parishioners 
of St. Nicholas Church have much about which to celebrate and be proud. 
We extend to them a hearty wish for continued success as a beacon of 
spiritual inspiration to those throughout the greater Wyoming Valley.

                          ____________________